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The behavioral and immunoendocrine effects of formalin-induced pain were studied in male rats following a subcutaneous injection of formalin (50 µl; 0.1%, F01 groups, 10%, F10 groups) or sham injection (control groups). After treatment, animals were tested in a transparent open field for either 30 or 60 min and thereafter sacrificed by decapitation. Plasma was collected for adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone, β-endorphin (β-EP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) determinations. Pain-evoked responses (licking, flexing, paw jerk), standard measures of activity (locomotion, rearing, olfactory exploration) and self-grooming were recorded. The higher formalin concentration induced stronger pain-evoked behavioral responses, paralleled by higher levels of ACTH, β-EP and IL-6, but did not affect the other behavioral parameters. In contrast, the lower formalin concentration induced a marked increase in locomotion and rearing and a decrease in ACTH levels. In both formalin-injected groups, corticosterone did not differ from controls.

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